Space for Kids
Space is vast, mysterious and full of wonders, from our nearest star to galaxies billions of light-years away. These lessons explain the Sun, Moon, planets, stars and space exploration, with simple facts, real-life examples and quizzes to test what you have discovered.
All 59 Space topics
The Sun
The Sun is a star at the centre of our solar system.
The Moon
The Moon orbits Earth about every 27 days.
Phases of the Moon
The Moon doesn't make its own light; it reflects sunlight.
Eclipses
A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, blocking sunlight.
Stars
Stars are huge balls of hot glowing gas, like our Sun.
Constellations
Constellations are patterns of stars people imagined as pictures.
Galaxies
A galaxy is a huge group of stars, gas and dust held together by gravity.
Black Holes
A black hole is a place in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.
Comets
A comet is a ball of ice, dust and rock that grows a glowing tail when it nears the Sun.
Asteroids and Meteors
Asteroids are rocky objects, mostly in a belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet and closest to the Sun.
Venus
Venus is the hottest planet because its thick atmosphere traps heat.
Earth in Space
Earth is the only known planet with life.
Mars
Mars is a cold, dusty desert planet with the tallest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, and a huge canyon.
Jupiter
Jupiter is the largest planet, a gas giant with a Great Red Spot that is a giant storm.
Saturn
Saturn is a gas giant famous for its bright rings made of ice and rock.
Uranus and Neptune
Uranus and Neptune are ice giants far from the Sun.
Dwarf Planets
Dwarf planets are round objects that orbit the Sun but haven't cleared their orbits.
Astronauts
Astronauts train for years to live and work in space.
The International Space Station
The ISS is a large laboratory orbiting Earth about 400 km up, built by many countries.
Rockets
Rockets burn fuel to produce a powerful push.
Satellites
A satellite is an object that orbits a planet.
Space Telescopes
Space telescopes like Hubble and James Webb see the universe clearly from above Earth's atmosphere.
Mars Rovers
Mars rovers like Curiosity and Perseverance are robot vehicles that drive on Mars, drill rocks and search for signs of ancient life.
Day and Night
Earth spins once every 24 hours.
The Seasons
Earth's axis is tilted.
The Big Bang
Scientists think the universe began about 13.8 billion years ago in a huge expansion called the Big Bang.
Light-years
A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, about 9.5 trillion kilometres.
Searching for Life
Scientists search for life beyond Earth by looking for planets with liquid water and by studying Mars and icy moons like Europa.
Auroras
Auroras are colourful lights in the sky near the poles, caused by particles from the Sun hitting gases in Earth's atmosphere.
Nebulae
A nebula is a giant cloud of gas and dust in space.
Supernovas
A supernova is a huge explosion at the end of the life of a very large star.
Neutron Stars
A neutron star is the super-dense core left behind after a large star explodes.
Pulsars
A pulsar is a spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radio waves.
Quasars
A quasar is an extremely bright object at the centre of a distant galaxy, powered by a giant black hole.
Exoplanets
An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun.
Solar System Formation
The solar system formed about 4.6 billion years ago from a spinning cloud of gas and dust.
The Oort Cloud
The Oort Cloud is a huge, distant shell of icy objects that surrounds the solar system.
The Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt is a ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune.
Europa
Europa is one of Jupiter's moons.
Titan
Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the only moon with a thick atmosphere.
Io
Io is one of Jupiter's moons and is the most volcanically active object in the solar system.
Ganymede
Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system and is bigger than the planet Mercury.
The Milky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains our solar system.
Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest large spiral galaxy to the Milky Way.
Space Suits
A space suit protects astronauts from the vacuum of space, extreme temperatures and tiny fast-moving objects.
Spacewalks
A spacewalk, or extravehicular activity, is when an astronaut leaves a spacecraft to work outside.
Space Food
Astronauts eat specially prepared food that is lightweight, lasts a long time and is easy to eat without crumbs.
Zero Gravity
In orbit, objects and astronauts seem to float because they are constantly falling around Earth.
Mission Control
Mission control is the team on the ground that monitors spacecraft, communicates with astronauts and solves problems.
Apollo Missions
The Apollo missions were NASA programmes that sent astronauts to the Moon between 1968 and 1972.
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a telescope that orbits Earth and sends back stunning images of distant galaxies, nebulae and planets.
James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope is a powerful telescope that observes mainly infrared light.
Space Probes
A space probe is an uncrewed spacecraft sent to explore planets, moons, comets or asteroids.
Voyager Missions
The Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes were launched in 1977.
Meteorite Hunting
Meteorites are rocks from space that land on Earth.
Solar Wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles that flows from the Sun into space.
Solar Flares
A solar flare is a sudden burst of energy from the Sun's surface.
Planetariums
A planetarium is a building with a dome where a projector shows the night sky and space.
Frequently asked questions about Space
Can I see planets without a telescope?
Yes. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are often bright enough to see with the naked eye. Apps can show you where they are in the sky.
Why is space so dark if the Sun is so bright?
Space has almost no air or dust to scatter sunlight, so there is nothing to light up the empty space between objects.
What is the best way to learn about space at home?
Watch the night sky, use a free star-map app, read books about astronauts and visit a planetarium or science museum if you can.